Everyone Are Invited to Become the Fourth Haim Member.
"Do you know when you'll be speaking to the Haim sisters?" a message reads. "I was hoping to ask if I can become their fourth member."
However, there remains a key snag: The author likewise longs to be the Haims' fourth member. And we're far from alone. Multiple famous supporters have publicly petitioned for the position.
The evidence suggests something is going on. Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana began their musical journey playing gigs at neighborhood delis with their parents. Presently, they stand as repeated Grammy Award contenders.
Like all the best groups, they're a close unit. Their videos repeatedly show them walking in sync down the streets of Los Angeles. On stage, they jam with such pure happiness you find yourself thinking, "I wish to be a piece of that, too."
"How often on tour that fans approached us and said, 'Seeing you perform, I bought a bass'," states Alana, the youngest of the trio. "That is the ultimate honor. That is recognition in itself. We've done our job if we can encourage people to form a group."
"And thus everyone gets an invitation to be the honorary Haim sister."
Grammy Nod
The trio are connecting from their homes, where they're taking a pause after an extensive tour in promoting their new album, I Quit.
They're currently processing the news it's been shortlisted for Best Rock Album at the Grammys – with Haim the first all-woman band ever in consideration for the award.
"I watch the nominations every year, so it sort of feels like an out-of-body experience when your name is read out," says Alana. "I immediately called my sisters to say, 'Am I hearing this right or am I imagining things'?"
The significance of the accolade isn't lost on the band.
"We deliberately set out to make a guitar-driven album this time, so it's a huge achievement," adds Alana. "However we're just appreciative for the female artists that came before us."
Heartbreak and Humour
The record emerged from a phase of transition. All three sisters ended up single, and the music captures that unique in-between place where you're happy to be free, but not entirely ready to move on.
The words detail breakups and farewells. The sisters desire love, but not the specific love they've got. You can hear them working out in real life who they aspire to be.
"I love summary, yes," says Danielle. "I Quit is kind of like a mantra. You have to actively work on shutting out the outside opinions and saying, 'It doesn't matter to me what people think'."
Evolution of Music
That recent resilience called for a fresh approach – more raw and immediate than any of the music the band had done before.
For Danielle, who co-produced the album, that was founded on the drums.
"Percussion is such a specific thing, and I focus so intensely about it," she says.
"'Journey of the drum sound' will be the name of our biography," quips Alana. "I always say, our albums don't start until we find the right drum sound."
Stories and Shared Humor
The trio's openness shaped the album's marketing, where the sisters disclosed some of their romantic tales.
A former partner ended things with Este over a medical consideration. Alana told a story of flying to celebrate New Year's Eve with someone, only to receive a friendly slap at midnight.
"Experiencing these heartbreaks, you just feel like there's no hope," notes Alana. "So to be able to find humor in those stories and have them tell you more outrageous stories, it's so amazing."
A Confident Path
You can clearly sense a evolution in the band. Today, Haim are more certain of their place in the industry.
They're top-billed acts, with chart-topping albums and an international following.
However the sister act will always be their primary commitment.
"My sisters and I have been performing since I was four," says Alana. "It's like no alternative that we were destined for. And I'm really thankful we've made it and we're still making music."
